Recyclate verification

ABSTRACT

A composition for recyclate verification is produced by adding a predetermined quantity of one or more verification compounds to a base resin. Each of the verification compounds is thermally stable over a range of temperatures that includes the maximum processing temperature of the base resin but is less than the degradation temperature of the base resin. In some embodiments, a thermoplastic material provided for verification as a recyclate is analyzed to detect the presence (and, optionally, the loading level) of one or more verification compounds associated with the base resin of the thermoplastic material. In some embodiments, a computer-implemented method for recyclate verification is performed using a computer program product. In some embodiments, a thermoplastic material verified as a recyclate is heated to drive off the verification compound(s), then a known quantity of the verification compound(s) is added to the recyclate, which is then blended with virgin base resin material.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is a divisional application of pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/596,324 (docket no. ROC920130110US1),filed Jan. 14, 2015, entitled “RECYCLATE VERIFICATION”, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates in general to plastics recycling. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a composition forrecyclate verification that includes one or more verification compoundsadded to a base resin. The present invention also relates to a methodfor producing such a composition, as well as to a method and computerprogram product for verifying recyclate.

SUMMARY

In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, acomposition for recyclate verification is produced by adding apredetermined quantity of one or more verification compounds to a baseresin. Each of the verification compounds is thermally stable over arange of temperatures that includes the maximum processing temperatureof the base resin but is less than the degradation temperature of thebase resin. In some embodiments of the present invention, athermoplastic material provided for verification as a recyclate isanalyzed to detect the presence (and, optionally, measure the loadinglevel) of one or more verification compounds associated with the baseresin of the thermoplastic material. In some embodiments of the presentinvention, a computer-implemented method for recyclate verification isperformed using a computer program product. In some embodiments of thepresent invention, a thermoplastic material verified as a recyclate isheated to drive off the verification compound(s), then a known quantityof the verification compound(s) is added to the recyclate, which is thenblended with virgin base resin material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described inconjunction with the appended drawings, where like designations denotelike elements.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual temperature gauge diagram illustratingrelationships between various thermal properties of a thermoplasticmaterial and the thermal stability of a verification compound to beadded to the thermoplastic material for recyclate verification inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for verifying recyclatebased on detection of the presence of one or more verification compoundsin a thermoplastic material in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for verifying recyclatebased on measurement of the loading level of one or more verificationcompounds in a thermoplastic material in accordance with someembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for verifying recyclatein which verified recyclate thermoplastic material is blended withvirgin base resin material in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary representation of acomputer system for performing a computer-implemented method forrecyclate verification in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Recently, there is a greater focus on the use of recycled plastic in anattempt to minimize the quantity of virgin resin required for a givenapplication. Recycled plastic is often blended with virgin material andsold at a premium (due to the logistics of collecting and sorting therecycled plastic). However, it is extremely difficult using conventionaltechniques to verify the recycled resin content in the resin blendbecause the recycled resin and the virgin resin are chemicallyidentical. The only conventional method to verify the recycled resincontent in the resin blend is via an extensive supply chain audit.Consequently, a need exists for a more practical mechanism for recyclateverification.

In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, at leastone verification compound is added to the recyclate that will indicatethat it is recycled material. The recyclate is then blended with virginbase resin material. The indicator is thermally stable at the melttemperature of the resin but can be removed (thermally or otherwise) athigher temperature provided that the higher temperature is still belowthe decomposition temperature of the resin. When the material comes backto the compounder/recycler, it may be heated to drive off theindicator(s), then a known quantity of the verification compound(s) isadded to the recyclate. The recyclate is then blended with the virginbase resin material. The resultant material can then be tested for theindicator.

In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, acomposition for recyclate verification is produced by adding apredetermined quantity of one or more verification compounds to a baseresin. The predetermined quantity achieves a nominal loading level foreach verification compound. The composition may comprise a set of two ormore of the verification compounds. Each of the verification compoundsis thermally stable over a range of temperatures that includes a maximumprocessing temperature of the base resin but is less than a degradationtemperature of the base resin.

For purposes of this document, including the claims, the terminology“degradation temperature” refers to the lowest temperature at which thebase resin begins to substantially degrade (e.g., the decompositiontemperature of the base resin).

For purposes of this document, including the claims, the terminology“base resin” refers to a thermoplastic material. A thermoplasticmaterial (sometimes referred to as a “thermosoftening plastic”) is aplastic material that becomes pliable or moldable above a specifictemperature (e.g., melting temperature (Tm), glass transitiontemperature (Tg), Vicat softening temperature (VST), and the like) andsolidifies upon cooling. Thermoplastic materials typically comprise oneor more polymers. Suitable base resins include, but are not limited to,polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) (often identified by the resinidentification code (RIC) number “1”), high-density polyethylene (HDPEor PE-HD) (often identified by the RIC number “2”), polyethylenechloride (PVC) (often identified by the RIC number “3”), low-densitypolyethylene (LDPE or PE-LD) (often identified by the RIC number “4”),polypropylene (PP) (often identified by the RIC number “5”), polystyrene(PS) (often identified by the RIC number “6”), polycarbonate (PC),acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and blends thereof. “Other” typesof plastic, such as PC and ABS, are often identified by the MC number“7”.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual temperature gauge diagram illustratingrelationships between various thermal properties of a thermoplasticmaterial (e.g., the maximum processing temperature of the thermoplasticmaterial, as well as the degradation temperature of the thermoplasticmaterial) and the thermal stability of a verification compound to beadded to the thermoplastic material for recyclate verification inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, the decomposition temperature (e.g., boilingpoint, sublimation temperature, etc.) of the verification compound isbetween the maximum processing temperature of the base resin and thedegradation temperature (e.g., decomposition temperature) of the baseresin. In other words, the verification compound is thermally stableover a range of temperatures that includes the maximum processingtemperature of the base resin but is less than the degradationtemperature of the base resin. Generally, any organic compound thatsatisfies these relationships is suitable for use as a verificationcompound.

Organic compounds that may be suitable for use as a verificationcompound (depending on the base resin) include, but are not limited to,medium or long chain, mono- or di-carboxylic acids (e.g., glutaric acid,adipic acid, pimelic acid, suberic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid,linoleic acid, hexanoic acid (also referred to as “caproic acid”),caprylic acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid,and pelargonic acid) and mono-, di-, or tri-hydroxybenzoic acids (e.g.,2-hydroxybenzoic acid (also referred to as “salicylic acid”),2-5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (also referred to as “gentisic acid”),3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (also referred to as “protocatechuic acid”),and ethyl protocatechuate).

In some embodiments of the present invention, a thermoplastic materialprovided for verification as a recyclate is analyzed to detect thepresence (and, optionally, measure the loading level) of one or moreverification compounds associated with the base resin of thethermoplastic material. In some embodiments of the present invention, acomputer-implemented method for recyclate verification is performedusing a computer program product. In some embodiments of the presentinvention, a thermoplastic material verified as a recyclate is heated todrive off the verification compound(s), then a known quantity of theverification compound(s) is added to the recyclate, which is thenblended with virgin base resin material.

Preferably, the loading level of each the one or more verificationcompounds within the recyclate is low so as not to adversely impact thechemical and/or physical properties of the base resin. For example, theloading level of each of the one or more verification compounds withinthe recyclate may be less than 1 wt %, preferably less than 0.1 wt %,and more preferably 0.01 wt %.

On one hand, some or all of the verification compound(s) and/or loadinglevel(s) to be used in particular base resins may be made known to thepublic through, for example, standards organizations. On the other hand,some or all of the verification compound(s) and/or loading level(s) tobe used in particular base resins may be kept secret (e.g., made knownonly to authorized compounders/recyclers).

Depending on the thermoplastic material to be molded, suitable organiccompounds for use as the one or more verification compounds may beselected from a variety of material classes. By way of example, theinjection molding process temperatures used for a PC/ABS blend baseresin (i.e., a blend of polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile butadienestyrene (ABS) as the base resin) include various barrel temperatures(e.g., the rear section (hopper) temperature of approximately 225-260°C., the intermediate section temperature of approximately 250-275° C.,and the front section temperature of approximately 250-280° C.), thenozzle temperature of approximately 250-275° C., and the moldtemperature of approximately 50-80° C. Hence, in this PC/ABS blend baseresin example, the maximum processing temperature to which the PC/ABSblend is subjected to during the injection molding process is 280° C. Inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention, selection ofthe one or more verification compounds is tailored for the thermoplasticmaterial to be molded so that each verification compound is thermallystable at temperatures up to such a maximum processing temperature forthe thermoplastic material to be molded. Consequently, in this PC/ABSblend base resin example, the verification compound(s) must be thermallystable at temperatures up to 280° C.

The maximum processing temperature for a given thermoplastic material tobe molded is typically above the melting point of that thermoplasticmaterial but is typically well below the degradation temperature of thatthermoplastic material. Due to the amorphous nature of PC/ABS blends,this particular thermoplastic material does not display a melting point.Instead, the maximum processing temperature for the PC/ABS blend in thisexample is driven by other thermal properties of the PC/ABS blend. Forexample, the PC/ABS blend in this example has a glass transitiontemperature (Tg) of approximately 125° C., a Vicat softening temperature(VST) (B50 method) of approximately 112° C., and heat deflectiontemperatures (HDTs) at 66 psi and 264 psi of approximately 110° C. and96° C., respectively. The maximum processing temperature (i.e., 280° C.)in this example is well above each of those temperatures. Thedegradation temperature for PC/ABS blends is approximately 400° C.

Therefore, in this PC/ABS blend base resin example, organic compoundssuitable for use as a verification compound are thermally stable at 280°C. yet decompose below 400° C. A suitable class of organic compounds foruse as a verification compound, at least with respect to this PC/ABSblend base resin example, is the long chain, mono- or di-carboxylicacids such as azelaic acid or sebacic acid. The respective chemicalstructures of azelic acid and sebacic acid are shown below:

Azelaic acid has a melting point of approximately 109-111° C. and aboiling point of approximately 286° C. Azelaic acid has a carbon chainthat is relatively long (i.e., nine carbon atoms in length). Sebacicacid has a melting point of approximately 131-134.5° C. and a boilingpoint of approximately 294° C. Sebacic acid has a carbon chain that iseven longer (i.e., ten carbon atoms in length) than the carbon chain ofazelaic acid. Thus, azelaic acid and/or sebacic acid are thermallystable at temperatures up to and exceeding 280° C. (i.e., the maximumprocessing temperature of the PC/ABS blend) yet decompose completely(i.e., volatilize) well below 400° C. (i.e., the decompositiontemperature of the PC/ABS blend). It is possible, therefore, to driveoff azelaic acid and/or sebacic acid added to a PC/ABS blend base resin(i.e., the PC/ABS blend base resin and the azelaic acid and/or thesebacic acid together constituting “recyclate”) as verificationcompound(s) by heating the recyclate to a temperature beyond the boilingpoint of the verification compound(s) but short of the decomposition ofthe PC/ABS blend base resin. Moreover, azelaic acid and sebacic acidadded to a PC/ABS blend base resin can be easily titrated in order toquantify the loading level of the verification compound(s) within therecyclate.

Suberic acid, on the other hand, is a long chain, di-carboxylic acidthat is not suitable for use as a verification compound (at least notwith respect to this PC/ABS blend base resin example). The chemicalstructure of suberic acid is shown below:

Suberic acid has a melting point of approximately 141-144° C. and aboiling point of approximately 230° C. Thus, suberic acid is notthermally stable at temperatures up to 280° C. (i.e., the maximumprocessing temperature of the PC/ABS blend). Suberic acid has a carbonchain that is shorter (i.e., eight carbon atoms in length) than thecarbon chains of azelaic acid and sebacic acid, thus making thisparticular long chain, di-carboxylic acid unsuitable for use as averification compound in this particular base resin. That is, theshorter carbon chain makes the suberic acid too volatile for use as averification compound (at least with respect to this PC/ABS blend baseresin example).

Depending on the base resin used in the thermoplastic, differentverification compound(s) may be utilized. For example,2-5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, which sublimes at a temperature ofapproximately 200-205° C., may be used for ABS base resin (whichtypically has a maximum processing temperature of about 175° C. and adecomposition temperature of about 280° C.). The chemical structure of2-5-dihydroxybenzoic acid is shown below:

As mentioned above, 2-5-dihydroxybenzoic acid sublimes at a temperatureof approximately 200-205° C. Thus, 2-5-dihydroxybenzoic acid isthermally stable at temperatures up to and exceeding 175° C. (i.e., themaximum processing temperature of the ABS base resin) yet decomposescompletely (i.e., volatilizes by sublimation) well below 280° C. (i.e.,the decomposition temperature of the ABS base resin). It is possible,therefore, to drive off 2-5-dihydroxybenzoic acid added to an ABS baseresin (i.e., the ABS base resin and the 2-5-dihydroxybenzoic acidtogether constituting “recyclate”) as a verification compound by heatingthe recyclate to a temperature beyond the sublimation temperature of theverification compound but short of the decomposition of the ABS baseresin. Moreover, 2-5-dihydroxybenzoic acid added to an ABS base resincan be easily titrated in order to quantify the loading level of theverification compound within the recyclate.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 200 for verifyingrecyclate based on detection of the presence of one or more verificationcompounds in a thermoplastic material in accordance with someembodiments of the present invention. In the method 200, the stepsdiscussed below (steps 202-214) are performed. These steps are set forthin their preferred order. It must be understood, however, that thevarious steps may occur at different times relative to one another thanshown, or may occur simultaneously. Moreover, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that one or more of the steps may be omitted.

The method 200 begins by providing a thermoplastic material forverification as recyclate (step 202). For example, a thermoplasticmaterial may be provided by a conventional automatic sort system to anear-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy unit that automatically identifies thebase resin in the thermoplastic material. Alternatively, thethermoplastic material may be provided to a human who manuallyidentifies the base resin in the thermoplastic material using, forexample, the RIC labeling system.

The method 200 continues by identifying the base resin in thethermoplastic material (step 204). For example, a near-infrared (NIR)spectroscopy unit may be used to identify the base resin in thethermoplastic material by irradiating the thermoplastic material withnear-infrared light, measuring the absorption spectrum of the reflectednear-infrared light, and comparing the measured absorption spectrumagainst reference absorption spectrum of known base resins.Alternatively, a human may manually identify the base resin in thethermoplastic material by reading a RIC label printed on thethermoplastic material.

Then, the method 200 continues by determining one or more verificationcompounds associated with the base resin identified in step 204 (step206). For example, a recyclate verification application 535 (shown inFIG. 5) may access data files 540 (shown in FIG. 5) to automaticallydetermine the verification compound(s) associated with the base resinidentified in step 204. The data files 540 may, for each of any numberof base resins, list one or more verification compounds that is/areassociated with that particular base resin. Alternatively, a human mayaccess the data files 540 or the like to manually determine theverification compound(s) associated with the base resin identified instep 204.

The method 200 then continues by analyzing the thermoplastic material todetect the presence of the one or more verification compounds determinedin step 206 (step 208). For example, an automatic chemical analysissystem (e.g., a conventional automatic assay system) may be used toautomatically detect the presence of the verification compound(s) in thethermoplastic material. Alternatively, a human may manually detect thepresence of the verification compound(s) in the thermoplastic material(e.g., via any suitable assay technique known to those skilled in theart).

Then, the method 200 continues by determining whether the presence ofthe one or more verification compounds determined in step 206 wasdetected when the thermoplastic material was analyzed in step 208 (step210). If each of the verification compound(s) was detected (step210=Yes), the method 200 continues by reporting the thermoplasticmaterial as verified recyclate (step 212). On the other hand, if each ofthe verification compound(s) was not detected (step 210=No), the method200 continues by reporting the thermoplastic material as failingverification (step 214).

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 300 for verifyingrecyclate based on measuring of the loading level of one or moreverification compounds in a thermoplastic material in accordance withsome embodiments of the present invention. In the method 300, the stepsdiscussed below (steps 302-314) are performed. These steps are set forthin their preferred order. It must be understood, however, that thevarious steps may occur at different times relative to one another thanshown, or may occur simultaneously. Moreover, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that one or more of the steps may be omitted.

The method 300 begins by providing a thermoplastic material forverification as recyclate (step 302). For example, a thermoplasticmaterial may be provided by a conventional automatic sort system to anear-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy unit that automatically identifies thebase resin in the thermoplastic material. Alternatively, thethermoplastic material may be provided to a human who manuallyidentifies the base resin in the thermoplastic material using, forexample, the RIC labeling system.

The method 300 continues by identifying the base resin in thethermoplastic material (step 304). For example, a near-infrared (NIR)spectroscopy unit may be used to identify the base resin in thethermoplastic material by irradiating the thermoplastic material withnear-infrared light, measuring the absorption spectrum of the reflectednear-infrared light, and comparing the measured absorption spectrumagainst reference absorption spectrum of known base resins.Alternatively, a human may manually identify the base resin in thethermoplastic material by reading a RIC label printed on thethermoplastic material.

Then, the method 300 continues by determining one or more verificationcompounds and loading level range(s) associated with the base resinidentified in step 304 (step 306). For example, a recyclate verificationapplication 535 (shown in FIG. 5) may access data files 540 (shown inFIG. 5) to automatically determine the verification compound(s) andloading level range(s) associated with the base resin identified in step304. The data files 540 may, for each of any number of base resins, listone or more verification compounds that is/are associated with thatparticular base resin, along with a loading level range for each of theone or more verification compounds. Each loading level range provides asuitable tolerance above and below a nominal loading level for aparticular verification compound. Alternatively, a human may access thedata files 540 or the like to manually determine the verificationcompound(s) and loading level range(s) associated with the base resinidentified in step 304.

The method 300 then continues by analyzing the thermoplastic material tomeasure the loading level for each of the one or more verificationcompounds determined in step 306 (step 308). For example, an automaticchemical analysis system (e.g., a conventional automatic titrationsystem) may be used to automatically measure the loading level of theverification compound(s) in the thermoplastic material. Alternatively, ahuman may manually measure the loading level of the verificationcompound(s) in the thermoplastic material (e.g., via any suitabletitration technique known to those skilled in the art).

Then, the method 300 continues by determining whether the loading levelfor each of the one or more verification compounds measured when thethermoplastic material was analyzed in step 308 was within acorresponding one of the one or more loading level ranges determined instep 306 (step 310). If the measured loading level for each of theverification compound(s) was within the corresponding loading levelrange (step 310=Yes), the method 300 continues by reporting thethermoplastic material as verified recyclate (step 312). If the measuredloading level for each of the verification compound(s) was not withinthe corresponding loading level range (step 310=No), the method 300continues by reporting the thermoplastic material as failingverification (step 314).

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 400 for verifyingrecyclate in which verified recyclate thermoplastic material is blendedwith virgin base resin material in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present invention. In the method 400, the steps discussed below(steps 402-408) are performed. These steps are set forth in theirpreferred order. It must be understood, however, that the various stepsmay occur at different times relative to one another than shown, or mayoccur simultaneously. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat one or more of the steps may be omitted.

The method 400 begins by verifying recyclate thermoplastic material(step 402). Step 402 may, for example, correspond to performing themethod 200 (shown in FIG. 2) or the method 300 (shown in FIG. 3), wherethe thermoplastic material is reported as verified recyclate (i.e., step212 or step 312).

The method 400 continues by driving off the verification compound(s)from the verified recyclate thermoplastic material (step 404). Forexample, the verified recyclate thermoplastic material may be heated tothe decomposition temperature of the verification compound(s).

Then, the method 400 continues by adding a known quantity of theverification compound(s) to the verified recyclate thermoplasticmaterial (step 406). For example, the known quantity of the verificationcompound(s) added to the verified recyclate thermoplastic material instep 406 may be determined to provide a nominal loading level for eachverification compound in a blend that will comprise both the verifiedrecyclate thermoplastic material and virgin base resin material.

The method 400 then continues by blending the verified recyclatethermoplastic material having the known quantity of the verificationcompound(s) added thereto in step 406 and the virgin base resin material(step 408).

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary representation of a computer system 500connected to one or more electronic devices 560 (e.g., an embeddedcontroller of one or more automatic sort systems to identify the baseresin in the recyclate, such as a conventional automatic sort systemthat utilizes near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, and/or one or moreautomatic chemical analysis systems to detect the presence/loading levelof one or more verification compounds in the recyclate, such as aconventional automatic assay system or a conventional automatictitration system) via a network 555, for performing acomputer-implemented method for recyclate verification in accordancewith some embodiments of the present invention. For the purposes of thisdisclosure, computer system 500 may represent practically any type ofcomputer, computer system, or other programmable electronic device,including but not limited to, a client computer, a server computer, aportable computer, a handheld computer, an embedded controller, etc. Insome embodiments, computer system 500 may be implemented using one ormore networked computers, e.g., in a cluster or other distributedcomputing system.

The computer system 500 may include, without limitation, one or moreprocessors (CPUs) 505, a network interface 515, an interconnect 520, amemory 525, and storage 530. The computer system 500 may also include anI/O device interface 510 used to connect I/O devices 512, e.g.,keyboard, display, and mouse devices, to the computer system 500.

Each processor 505 may retrieve and execute programming instructionsstored in the memory 525 or storage 530. Similarly, the processor 505may store and retrieve application data residing in the memory 525. Theinterconnect 520 may transmit programming instructions and applicationdata between each processor 505, I/O device interface 510, networkinterface 515, memory 525, and storage 530. The interconnect 520 may beone or more busses. The processor 505 may be a single central processingunit (CPU), multiple CPUs, or a single CPU having multiple processingcores in various embodiments. In one embodiment, a processor 505 may bea digital signal processor (DSP).

The memory 525 may be representative of a random access memory, e.g.,Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM),read-only memory, or flash memory. The storage 530 may be representativeof a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive, solid state device(SSD), or removable memory cards, optical storage, flash memory devices,network attached storage (NAS), or connections to storage area network(SAN) devices, or other devices that may store non-volatile data. Thenetwork interface 515 may be configured to transmit data via thecommunications network 555.

The memory 525 may include a recyclate verification application 535, oneor more data files denoted in FIG. 5 as “base resin/verificationcompound(s)/verification compound loading level range(s) 540”. Althoughthese elements are illustrated as residing in the memory 525, any of theelements, or combinations thereof, may reside in the storage 530 orpartially in the memory 525 and partially in the storage 530. The datafiles 540 may also reside, at least partially, in a data base (notshown) which the computer system 500 may access through the network 555.The recyclate verification application 535 has a set (at least one) ofprogram modules that, in conjunction with the one or more data files540, one or more automatic sort systems to identify the base resin inthe recyclate (e.g., a conventional automatic sort system that utilizesnear-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy), and one or more automatic chemicalanalysis systems to detect the presence/loading level of one or moreverification compounds in the recyclate (e.g., a conventional automaticassay system or a conventional automatic titration system), generallycarry out the functions and/or methodologies of embodiments of theinvention as described herein.

The network 555 may be any suitable network or combination of networksand may support any appropriate protocol suitable for communication ofdata and/or code to/from the computer system 500 and the electronicdevice 560. In some embodiments, the network 555 may support wirelesscommunications. In other embodiments, the network 555 may supporthardwired communications. The network 555 may be the Internet and maysupport Internet Protocol in some embodiments. In other embodiments, thenetwork 555 may be implemented as a local area network (LAN) or a widearea network (WAN). The network 555 may also be implemented as acellular data network. Although the network 555 is shown as a singlenetwork in the figures, one or more networks of the same or differenttypes may be included.

As shown, there may be one or more electronic devices 560 connected tothe computer system 500 via the network 555. The electronic device 560may include some or all of the hardware and software elements of thecomputer system 500 previously described. For the purposes of thisdisclosure, the electronic device 560 may represent practically any typeof computer, computer system, or other programmable electronic device,including but not limited to, a client computer, a server computer, aportable computer, a handheld computer, an embedded controller, etc.

The present invention may be a composition, a system, a method, and/or acomputer program product. The computer program product may include acomputer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readableprogram instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry outaspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations are possiblewithin the scope of the present invention. Thus, while the presentinvention has been particularly shown and described with reference topreferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that these and other changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for verifying recyclate, comprising:providing a thermoplastic material for verification as a recyclate,wherein the thermoplastic material comprises a base resin; identifyingthe base resin of the thermoplastic material; determining a verificationcompound associated with the identified base resin; analyzing thethermoplastic material to detect the presence of the verificationcompound, wherein analyzing the thermoplastic material to detect thepresence of the verification compound comprises analyzing thethermoplastic material to measure a loading level of the verificationcompound in the thermoplastic material; determining whether the loadinglevel of the verification compound in the thermoplastic material iswithin a loading level range; reporting the thermoplastic material as averified recyclate if the measured loading level of the verificationcompound in the thermoplastic material is within the loading levelrange.
 2. A computer program product comprising: a plurality ofexecutable instructions provided on computer readable media, wherein theexecutable instructions, when executed by at least one processor in adigital computing device, cause the digital computing device to performthe method as recited in claim
 1. 3. The method as recited in claim 1,further comprising: driving off the verification compound from theverified recyclate thermoplastic material; adding a known quantity ofthe verification compound to the verified recyclate thermoplasticmaterial; blending the virgin base resin material and the verifiedrecyclate thermoplastic material having the known quantity of theverification compound added thereto.
 4. The method as recited in claim1, wherein determining a verification compound associated with theidentified base resin comprises accessing a data file that, for each ofa plurality of base resins, lists at least one verification compound andat least one loading level range associated with that particular baseresin.
 5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein analyzing thethermoplastic material to detect the presence of the verificationcompound comprises analyzing the thermoplastic material to measure theloading level of the at least one verification compound listed in thedata file as being associated with the base resin, and whereindetermining whether the loading level of the verification compound inthe thermoplastic material is within a loading level range comprisesdetermining whether the loading level of the verification compound inthe thermoplastic material is within the at least one loading levelrange listed in the data file as being associated with the base resin.6. A method for verifying recyclate, comprising: providing athermoplastic material for verification as a recyclate, wherein thethermoplastic material comprises a base resin; identifying the baseresin of the thermoplastic material; determining a plurality ofverification compounds associated with the identified base resin;analyzing the thermoplastic material to detect the presence of theverification compounds, wherein analyzing the thermoplastic material todetect the presence of the verification compounds comprises analyzingthe thermoplastic material to measure a loading level of each of theverification compounds in the thermoplastic material; determiningwhether the loading level of each of the verification compounds in thethermoplastic material is within a loading level range for thatparticular verification compound; reporting the thermoplastic materialas a verified recyclate if the measured loading level of each of theverification compounds in the thermoplastic material is within theloading level range for that particular verification compound.
 7. Acomputer program product comprising: a plurality of executableinstructions provided on computer readable media, wherein the executableinstructions, when executed by at least one processor in a digitalcomputing device, cause the digital computing device to perform themethod as recited in claim
 6. 8. The method as recited in claim 6,further comprising: driving off each of the verification compounds fromthe verified recyclate thermoplastic material; adding a known quantityof each of the verification compounds to the verified recyclatethermoplastic material; blending the virgin base resin material and theverified recyclate thermoplastic material having the known quantity ofeach of the verification compounds added thereto.
 9. The method asrecited in claim 6, wherein determining a plurality of verificationcompounds associated with the identified base resin comprises accessinga data file that, for each of a plurality of base resins, lists a set ofverification compounds and at least one loading level range associatedwith that particular base resin.
 10. The method as recited in claim 9,wherein analyzing the thermoplastic material to detect the presence ofthe verification compounds comprises analyzing the thermoplasticmaterial to measure the loading level of the set of verificationcompounds listed in the data file as being associated with the baseresin, and wherein determining whether the loading level of each of theverification compounds in the thermoplastic material is within a loadinglevel range for that particular verification compound comprisesdetermining whether the loading level of each of the verificationcompounds in the thermoplastic material is within the at least oneloading level range in the data file as being associated with the baseresin.